How to make a good Hyperlapse video (plus a tour inside KPCC)

Instagram announced and released Hyperlapse on Tuesday, a video recording app that enables users to make time lapse videos with built-in stabilization.

In other words, it's a really easy way to make steady time lapses even with our shaky hands.

Before you jump into using Hyperlapse, here are a few tips on what makes a good Hyperlapse video:

• Lots of action: Time lapses work best when you're documenting continuous movement. That means either you should be moving or your subject should be moving. But make sure it's one or the other (or else your viewers might get vertigo).​

Here's an example where the camera is still and the subject is continuously moving:

Keep up with LAist.

If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.

Subscribe

And here's an L.A. example in which the subject is stationary, but the camera is moving by train:

Or, you could try moving around a stationary object for a "Matrix" effect, like this aerial video above L.A.:

• Fill the frame with action: Before pressing record, anticipate where the action will be. Let's say you're going to film cars driving down a street. Make sure you set up a shot in which the cars take up a majority of the frame. Remember, viewers will be seeing your Hyperlapses on a smartphone, so cars that look like little moving specks in your video won't be effective!

This video works great because the airplane takes up most of the frame:

• Think to yourself: does this call for faster playback? Not everything works well as a time lapse. First start with your subject and decide whether it calls for a time lapse. Something that happens continuously over time works best. You'll find that a lot of things that aren't visually interesting in real time look really cool in 6x-12x playback. But you'll also find that a lot of things that are visually interesting in real time just don't work fast-forwarded.

These clouds would look pretty stationary and boring in real-time video:

• Still try steadying your camera: Although Hyperlapse does smooth out the the bounces in your videos, the algorithm used by the app won't completely fix camera shake. Brace the elbow of your filming arm against your chest or use your free hand to cup your elbow.
• Plan ahead: Decide how you're going to film your Hyperlapse before pressing record. Unlike video recording on Instagram, there's no stopping and starting with Hyperlapse. Once you press record, you can't stop recording until you're done. Plus, to get the time-passing effect, your Hyperlapse should be one continuous shot.

Happy 'Hyperlapsing'!

Do you have a hyperlapse video? Share it with us on Facebook, on Instagram or Twitter (tag @KPCC).